How Can Leaders Build Trust?

As I was reading my daily fix of http://www.investors.com/ because I am the next Warren Buffett (hardly!), I came across an article in the Leaders & Success section: http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=551922 written by Steve Watkins.

 

For those that don't know, the Leaders & Success section of the Investors' website has a lot of interesting stories about people that were considered exceptional leaders in their field and in life as well as what made them extremely successful. 

 

The article outlines eight different ways in which leaders and organizations as a whole can build trust to get ahead in the marketplace. Being the loquacious individual that I am, I will not touch on all of them and spare you my propensity to babble. However, there are a couple suggestions that I felt were worth highlighting.

 

“Open Up Internally”

I agree that leaders need to be transparent with their followers. Having them involved in setting strategy and gaining an understanding on how goals and budgets are set is important. I think what is missing from this article is to what level you get them involved. If you involve too many people you run the risk of analysis paralysis and end up never getting anything done to achieve your goals.

 

“Get Others On Board”

I like the fact that it talks about how a lack of trust will in essence force individuals to protect themselves as opposed to protecting the organization. This is completely true; however, I think what Mr. Watkins failed to concretely capture is how to achieve this one. 

 

“Be Transparent”

As with the other suggestion "Open Up Internally", I completely agree that a true leader (be it a person or organization) should be transparent. However, there are limits. To me morality, ethics, and character should draw that line in terms of how much transparency you provide. The only issue here is that a lot of so-called leaders fail in all three.

 

Are there other major ways leaders can gain trust that are not represented here? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Common Attributes of True Leaders... Do They Exist?

After a brief blogging hiatus, which was filled with starting and finishing house project after house project after house project before it turns to sub-zero temperatures and the white shroud shows up in Minnesota, I am back at it all be it slowly.

As I continue to read books on leadership, observe and listen to those (near and far) in leadership positions I can’t help but wonder if there are a common set of attributes that make up true leaders. I mean if you spend some time searching online (Google or Bing) for articles on leadership attributes you will find countless lists of what people and organizations perceive to be the top 5 or 10.

So, are there a common set of attributes? From my perspective there appears to be. Here are five (5) attributes that appear to be common and that I personally feel are foundational to being a true leader:

1) Inspirational Vision 

A true leader definitely needs to be conscious and aware of today, but they also have to have the ability to focus on tomorrow. It is imperative for a true leader to have a distinct picture of what the future will look like.

A true leader also needs to know where they are going, is adept to inspiring and motivating others to follow, and can show them how to get there. Anyone can have a picture of tomorrow but if it doesn’t inspire others to follow, it more than likely is a mirage or a delusion. 

2) Communication

In order for a true leader to entrust, exchange information, castigate, reward, etc… they must be able to communicate. This is probably one of the biggest failures that leaders and those in leadership positions have. It’s one thing to have an inspirational vision, but if one can’t articulate it effectively how can they expect people to be inspired by it, follow, and eventually make it a reality.

A leader who can communicate effectively is seldom misunderstood or misinterpreted. This requires understanding your audience, practice, and knowing the difference between information and communication.

3) Humility

As a true leader, having a sense of humility is imperative because it substantiates one's humanity. Those that follow are already aware of what their leaders do well and what they don’t do well. Masking or hiding this short-changes one important element of leadership, self-awareness.

Some leaders, regardless of how great they are or are perceived, get themselves into trouble when they start believing in their own success which usually has some sort of press clipping associated with it. Leo Buscaglia a.k.a. "Dr. Love" had a great quote that definitely applies here: “If you get too big for your britches, you will surely split your pants and expose yourself for what you really are.”

4) Strong Character

It's difficult enough to lead, but it becomes even more difficult leading others if you do not have strong character. Character in this context encompasses the following: honesty, integrity, ethical, high moral compass and firm grounded beliefs.

If a true leader lacks strong character, how can they elicit trust with others? The answer is they can’t.

5) Courageous

You can also call this bravery, fearlessness, bold, the list is endless. It also can be represented in many different ways, but in this purview it revolves around taking risk. More often than not, there are going to be those that think a leader’s vision is ridiculous or unfounded. 

However, a true leader will be courageous enough to take calculated risks in all forms to realize their vision, stay true to their convictions even though others feel they are out of the norm and be able to plow through their own personal fears to make it a reality. A classic example of this attribute is Winston Churchill.

How do these attributes compare to your list? Please let me know.